March 2017: “In Like A…”

It is said of March that it comes “in like a lion, and out like a lamb.”  This is almost true this year, as the beginning of the month is fearsome indeed.  Yet the lion is not exactly the right animal exemplar, for the beast which rides the first portion of March is of a fantastic, imaginal nature- a spirit-beast of some sort.  Indeed, even if it is a lion’s head we hear roaring, the body which trails it is gigantic and serpentine- classically draconic.  Though it will be gone by the time the month comes to a close, it will take weeks for the wyrm to pass overhead.

March starts with Venus, Mars and Uranus in Aries stoking the furnace, setting hearts and tongues ablaze.  Meanwhile, the Sun, Mercury and Neptune in Pisces release mighty waters, promising a surreal inundation.

The first portion of the month, leading up to and bookended by the Full Moon on the 12^th, asks us to deal with the primal power of both fire and water.  Some of the days which make up this almost-fortnight are dominated by fire, others water, and some attempt to combine the two.  This will translate to both thunderous drama and deafening quiet, incandescence and darkness, drying heat and cooling moisture.  We shall ride the waves of the kettle as it is brought to a boil, and then simmers down.

Though I have dealt with the texture of these individual days in my dailies, there are a few key moments and factors worth picking out.

The first of the month provides an excellent demonstration of the principles discussed above.  The Sun conjoins Neptune in Pisces, unleashing a surreal flood, while the Moon conjoins Mars and Uranus in Aries, as incendiary a configuration as you could ask for.

This pitting of primal fire and water against one another prepares the ground for the two significant configurations which take place in days immediately following.

Jupiter Opposes Uranus

Jupiter in Libra opposes Uranus in Aries, at 22 degrees of each respective sign, on March 2^nd.  This is the second of three perfect oppositions between the two planets, the first having occurred on December 27^th, 2016, and the third scheduled for September 18^th, 2017.

This cycle of oppositions between Jupiter and Uranus augurs protest and unrest, a war between the moderate and the extreme, and the extremes with one another.  It also provides for sudden mutations and quantum leaps, breakthroughs that problematize steady progress.  Though it is only 2 months into the series, these themes are already quite clear.  The exact opposition with which March begins gives the dynamic a boost, pushing it into its next phase.

Venus’ Retrograde Station 

Little more than a day later, early early on March 4^th, Venus stations retrograde at 13 Aries.  Though this point signals the beginning of Venus’ backward motion, the planet has been already been slowing for weeks.  During that time her light fell across matters due to be revisited, reflected upon and reworked.  The heart is often a more chaotic place during Venus’ retrogrades, as the bright planet’s underworld journey unchains complexes of restrained emotion.  Hidden loves and hates are unbound while desire and aversion run unchecked.  Though it can feel like a visit to the fiery tempest described in the second level of Dante’s inferno, wherein the lustful dwell, there is a floor to this cavern.  Embedded in it there are glittering gems- hard, gleaming nuggets of truth.  Venus will walk through these howling tunnels until April 15^th, when she stations direct.

Mercury Conjoins the Sun

A few days later, on March 6^th, Mercury conjoins the Sun at 16 Pisces.  This moment, the superior conjunction, sees Mercury in line with the Earth, but on the far side of the Sun.  Here the swift planet acts like a telescope, extending the mind’s reach outward, to the edges of mental space.  The breadth of this vision provides an opportunity for reflection and insight after a pair of confusing weeks.

Mars Enters Taurus

On March 9^th, Mars crosses from Aries into Taurus, slowing the tempo considerably.  Mars has been in Aries since the end of January, setting fires, pushing buttons and pushing the pace.  If you found yourself sprinting for the first part of the month, Mars’ ingress may be a signal to return to a more sustainable jog.  Mars will be in Taurus until April 21^st.

The Full Moon in Virgo

The Full Moon in Virgo arrives early on the 12^th, though it will be most visible during the night of the 11^th.  This lunation will be the first not to be eclipsed since January, and thus brings an end to the potent but confusing period which they augured.  Indeed, the Full Moon in Virgo is a call for order.  Its spotlight falls upon messes within and without, and summons clean-up crews from the stars themselves.

The Full Moon in Virgo is one of March’s turning points.  With Mars no longer in Aries lighting fires, and Uranus and Jupiter drifting apart from their exact opposition, the skies are no longer over-run with chaos.  Though Venus’ retrograde will continue to stir the pot, the rest of March should be steadier than this first portion.

Mercury Enters Aries

Shortly after the Full Moon, on the 13^th, Mercury enters Aries.   Mercury is bright, sharp and direct in Aries, favoring straightforward communication and quick fixes.  The quick planet will make its first pass through the Ram’s sign quickly, making it all the way to Taurus by the 31^st of the month.  Nonetheless, the messenger’s April retrograde will see it return to the Aries.

Mercury Conjoins Venus

This ingress brings Mercury into the same sign as retrograde Venus, giving the changes wrought by the retrograde voice.  The conjunction of the two, on the 18^th, opens the pathway between the passions and the intellect, potentiating both assessment and articulation.

The Sun Enters Aries

On the 20^th, the Sun rolls into Aries and harnesses a pair of Rams to the chariot.  This ingress marks the equinox, a moment of equality between light and night.  From this point of balance, the ratio will begin to swing in favor of one over the other.   In the northern hemisphere, it is spring’s start and the triumph of day, while in the south it is the cusp of autumn, and the beginning of night’s reign. The Sun’s entrance into Aries sees it join Mercury, Venus and Uranus already in the Ram’s sign, placing a noticeable emphasis on the matters governed by the fiery sign.

Mercury Conjoins Uranus

Mercury gets up to some trouble during the last portion of March, butting in to the ongoing argument between Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto.  Mercury squares Pluto on the 23^rd, opposes Jupiter on the 24^th, and conjoins Uranus on the 26^th.  Here the messenger pulls the mind across a complicated and still-volatile set of topics, centered primarily on questions of how to adapt to changing and changed situations.

In the midst of Mercury’s complicated negotiation of the Jupiter-Uranus-Pluto t-square, Venus finds its way to the point between the Earth and the Sun.  Like a lens focusing the rays of the Sun into the depths of the Earth, this conjunction is the point at which Venus reaches the figurative depth of her underworld journey, and bears witness to what truths lie hidden there.  It is a point of purification and renewal for the heart, the end of one cycle and the beginning of another.  Yet beginnings and endings are blurred, their flesh entwined in little Janus-faced archways.   Though this turning-point occurs on the 25^th, Venus will still be retrograde until the middle of April, and the cycle not truly finished until June.

The New Moon in Aries

The New Moon in Aries arrives on the 27^th of March.  This reset of the lunar cycle occurs just after the Sun-Venus conjunction and follows on the heels of Mercury’s complicated conversations.  It is fair to say that it is a new cycle, yet the topics are not new.  It is more accurate to say that this New Moon inaugurates the next phase, the next act, in an ongoing storyline.  April will be its second act, less explosive than the first but instead dealing with the complex matters raised and the consequences of the various outcomes involved.

Jupiter Squares Pluto

On March 30^th, the second-to-last day of the month, retrograde Jupiter in Libra makes a perfect square with Pluto in Capricorn.  This is the second of three squares the two are due to make, with the first having taken place in November 2016.  On an individual level, this configuration points to hidden opportunities, as well as the hidden cost of opportunities.  It also challenges people’s ideals, pushing them to refine, and possibly redefine, what they believe in.

Mercury Enters Taurus

The month ends with Mercury’s entrance into Taurus.  The ingress on the 31^st turns the messenger toward practical topics, such as money, food and comfort.  Yet Mercury has something a bit more complicated than a quick tour of the Bull’s pasture in mind.  In a few weeks, the swift planet is due to throw it into reverse.  Mercury’s April retrograde will take it back into Aries and into an extended conjunction with Uranus.

Though there is much left unresolved as March comes to an end, matters will have reached the point where surprises are being processed, and adaptations are being implemented.  It is not exactly that March goes out like a lamb this year, but whatever creature the month’s end resembles, it is considerably more peaceable than the one which it resembled at its beginning.